The Washington Redskins signing of defensive tackle Barry Coefield to a six-year contract opens the door for the Broncos to pursue the No. 1 defensive tackle on their free agency board — Cullen Jenkins.

Broncos’ coach John Fox not only is seeking a starting defensive tackle, he wants one that make plays in the backfield. Jenkins had seven sacks in 11 games for the Super Bowl-champion Green Bay Packers. The seven sacks are impressive. The 11 games is scary — Jenkins, 30, has suffered significant injuries two of the past three years.

The Broncos have informed running back Correll Buckhalter that he will be released, a league source said Monday night.

Teams cannot officially cut players until Thursday.

Buckhalter, 32, was scheduled to make a $1.92 million salary this year. The Broncos also have younger backs Knowshon Moreno (a first-round pick in 2009), Lance Ball and LenDale White under contract, and head coach John Fox has said several times that running back is one of the team’s top priorities in free agency.

By the time Dove Valley opens for business at 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Broncos will have agreed to terms (if not signed outright) a whole bunch of undrafted players.

The biggest name in the bunch will likely be Auburn running back Mario Fannin, who finished his career with the Tigers with a BCS national championship ring and the career record for receptions and receiving yards by a running back. His rushing totals weren’t spectacular, but that happens when your quarterback is Cam Newton.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed reports from ESPN and elsewhere Monday evening, saying that teams are now allowed to begin contract negotiations with rookies — both undrafted and drafted players.

What we’re seeing now is a rush of undrafted players committing to NFL teams. Those deals can become final on Tuesday. Teams are going to be signing around 15 undrafted players each to help fill their 90-man training camp roster. (Regular-season rosters remain at 53 players.)

The team will not be announcing roster additions until at least Tuesday, but we’ll try to keep a running tally of these undrafted player signings.

Update: Rutgers cornerback Brandon Bing announced via his Twitter that he’s going to be a Bronco. Jason Baum, Rutgers Associate Athletic Director for Communications at Rutgers University (read: Sports Information Director), also Tweeted the same.

Update: Other players to Tweet news of agreements with the Broncos include Auburn running back Mario Fannin (who teased he’d be wearing orange and blue again, because writing “Let’s Go Broncos” to clear up any confusion), Michigan State wide receiver Mark Dell (who wrote he would be “touching down in Denver” on Tuesday morning, and Wake Forest wide receiver Marshall Williams (who wrote he would be playing at a “mile high.”

Update, 9:35 p.m.: Other players whose names have been linked to the Broncos include Kansas cornerback Chris Harris (who wrote it on his Twitter page); Michigan cornerback James Rogers; Miami fullback Patrick Hill; Toledo tight end Justin Jones; and Ohio State guard Bryant Browning.

Willis McGahee, left, could draw the free-agent interest of the Broncos at running back.

Now that the Baltimore Ravens have notified Willis McGahee that he will be released from his contract Thursday, expect the Broncos to be among the teams interested in signing him.

McGahee, 29, was with the Buffalo Bills from 2004-06 when Eric Studesville was his running backs coach. Studesville is now the Broncos’ running backs coach. McGahee rushed for 1,207 yards in 2007 with Baltimore but he has averaged just 6.7 carries a game the past two seasons as Ray Rice’s backup.

If the Broncos do go with McGahee, he would likely be the 1B back to Knowshon Moreno.

Among the items of note is that players with four years of accrued experience would receive unrestricted free agent status. This was the case in previous CBAs dating back to 1993, but was temporarily changed last year when the league operated under “re-opened” CBA rules, which made players with 4 and 5 years experience restricted free agents before reaching unrestricted status.

So let’s say the new CBA reverts back to form, whenever the final deal is reached. How will it affect the Broncos?

Hamstrung by the NFL lockout — at least for now — the Broncos front office cannot sign undrafted free agents or veteran free agents until either the league and the union reach a new collective bargaining agreement or the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals rules to uphold a U.S. District Judge’s ruling in favor of the players, whichever comes first.

Xanders, the team’s general manager, said Saturday night that the team is ready to jump right into free agency whenever that may start. The team has a list of targets in the veteran free agent pool and, now that the draft is over, knowledge of exactly what positions it needs to fill most (ahem, defensive tackle). Xanders and his scouting department will also go back over its college draft board to see which players didn’t get selected over the weekend and decide which of those undrafted players it wants to try to sign when they are allowed to contact players again.

“Once they tell us the rules, we are allowed to execute the plan,” Xanders said. “We have a plan for free agency. We are ready for two systems.”

Xanders is referring to the possibility that the league will end up operating under 2010 rules, which leave players in their fourth or fifth years as restricted free agents, or the possibility that those players will become unrestricted. For the Broncos, that most affects defensive tackle Marcus Thomas and right tackle Ryan Harris, who were both given original-round tenders in March before the lockout begins, meaning teams would owe the Broncos a fourth- or a third-round pick, respectively, for signing away Thomas or Harris. Elway said Saturday night that the team hopes Thomas returns, and that this front office and coaching staff views Thomas as a much better fit for the 4-3 defense.

The team seems ready to move on from Harris, who had a stellar season in 2008 but struggled through injuries and a system change in 2009-2010. The team drafted Orlando Franklin, a hulking 320-pound run-blocking specialists in the second round on Friday. Xanders said Saturday night that if Harris returns, he and Franklin would compete and “may the best man win,” Xanders said.

The Broncos’ five-headed leadership team seems set for 2011. Pat Bowlen to Joe Ellis to John Elway to Brian Xanders to John Fox.

The one perhaps most responsible for the upcoming NFL Draft? That would be Xanders, the Broncos’ general manager.

Xanders will handle the day-to-day personnel issues, including player transactions and will be out front in contract talks with players. He will oversee the team’s draft board and coordinate the team’s scouting staffs for both pro personnel and the annual draft. He’ll report directly to Elway.

So, wanna know who the Broncos might chase in the draft? What the latest news is on Champ Bailey? What position the team might shore up first?

The Broncos unceremoniously released center Casey Wiegmann last February, believing the 37-year-old, 285-pound lineman no longer fit the Broncos plan to get younger and bigger up front.

At least so far this year, Wiegmann has the last laugh.

Wiegmann re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in March, the team he played for from 2001-2007 before joining the Broncos as a free agent under Mike Shanahan. Now Wiegmann is anchoring an offensive line that is blocking for the league’s No. 1-ranked running game.

“Oh man, we’ve been so fortunate to have Casey here. He’s done a tremendous job for us,” Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel said. “He’s been leading since the day he stepped in the weight room this offseason, I don’t think he missed a single offseason workout, so he’s a guy that has added a tremendous amount of leadership, and shown our young guys what it takes to be successful in the NFL.”

Kansas City coach Todd Haley, who first met Wiegmann in 1996 when Wiegmann spent the first of his two seasons with the New York Jets, said Wiegmann has been a perfect fit both on the field and in the locker room for the Chiefs.

“I can’t put anyone as more important to us as a team than Casey,” Haley said. “You didn’t see any slow down from him. He’s always going to be a little undersized for an interior offensive lineman, but he never let that get in his way.”

Justin Fargas will no longer be punishing the Broncos’ defense. Not on game days, anyway. Fargas, the former Oakland Raider running back, passed his physical Tuesday night and will sign with the Broncos.

Fargas should be on the practice field for the team’s 8:45 a.m. practice Wednesday. He was signed following injuries, and hardly swift recoveries, of running backs Knowshon Moreno (hamstring), Correll Buckhalter (back) and LenDale White (leg).

Fargas joins a camp running back group of Lance Ball, Bruce Hall and Toney Baker. The Broncos will first have to make a roster move to make room for Fargas.

Pending a physical, the Broncos will add former Oakland Raiders back Justin Fargas to their banged-up running back corps.

Adding Fargas became necessary after the Broncos’ top two running backs, Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, went down with injuries on the first day of training camp, and then the first guy signed to fill in, LenDale White, went down in his first true training-camp practice with an undisclosed leg injury.

Buckhalter visited with a neck and spine specialist in Philadelphia and should now be cleared to return to practice after the Broncos’ preseason game Sunday at Cincinnati.

Moreno probably won’t return until after the second preseason game Aug. 21 against Detroit. The addition of Fargas likely means White will need to hurry up and get healthy if he wants to make the team. Already, he will miss the first four games of the regular season to serve a suspension. White, the former Denver South and Chatfield high school star, needs the preseason to prove he can help the Broncos starting in week 5.

Fargas, 30, rushed for 1,009 yards on 4.5 yards per carry in 2007; 853 yards in 2008 but only 491 yards in 2009 as he gave way to Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

Fargas played especially well against the Broncos in 2008, rushing 97 and 107 yards in two games; and had a 146-yard rushing game at Invesco Field in 2007.

The Broncos have been in negotiations with Gary Wichard, the agent for Elvis Dumervil, regarding a new long-term contract for the NFL’s reigning sack champion.

“”I feel both parties want to get something done, Dumervil said. “”It’s a work in progress. At the end of the day I’m happy to be a Bronco and I’m happy to be out here with new teammates and get back to playing football.”

With negotiations under way, Dumervil participated in the Broncos’ first day of voluntary offseason training activity (OTA) Monday at the team’s Dove Valley headquarters. Prior to the workout, Dumervil signed an injury protection waiver. Thus if he should get hurt, he could still collect the $3.168 million salary he was tendered in March as a restricted free agent.

If all goes well in negotiations, that $3.168 million could increase nearly 25 times in total contract value, based on the deals other premier pass rushers have received.

“”We’re going to focus on the contract while Elvis and the Broncos focus on 2010,’’ Wichard said. “”He knows he’s going to be playing there in 2010 and he’s there participating and supporting his teammates and organization. We’re hopeful everything will work out very positively in the next several weeks and see if we can get something done.’’

Only two players have more sacks than Dumervil’s 43 since he joined the league four years ago _ DeMarcus Ware (56 1/2) and Jared Allen (52). Ware last year received a $79 million contract with $40 million guaranteed; two years ago, Allen got a $72.26 million deal with $31 million guaranteed.

Other pass rushers who recently received rich contracts despite falling short of matching Dumervil’s sack production are Julius Peppers ($84 million contract; $42 million guaranteed) and Terrell Suggs ($62.5 million deal; $38 million guaranteed).

It’s been seven years since the Broncos committed such big money to one player. They did make Champ Bailey the leagues’ highest-paid defensive player with a seven-year, $63 million contract that included $23 million in guarantees. Seven years later, Bailey is in the final year of that deal and is scheduled to draw the final $13 million of that $63 million deal.

The NFL’s four highest-paid positions are all related to the passing game _ quarterback, pass rusher, cornerback and left tackle.

The Broncos continue to show their interest in accomplished veteran players.

The team will host former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook for a visit at Dove Valley on Thursday, according to a league source.

Westbrook, 30, was released by the Eagles after the 2009 season, which was his least productive year since his rookie season. Westbrook missed eight games in 2009 and dealt with serious concussion issues.

On Tuesday, Westbrook visited the Washington Redskins, but left without signing a contract.

Denver surely would be a comfortable destination for Westbrook, who count reunite here with his former Eagles teammates Correll Buckhalter and Brian Dawkins. All three are close friends. (Westbrook has plenty of connections, too, in Washington, with former Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb and brother Byron Westbook both on the Redskins’ roster.)

If the Broncos were to sign Westbrook, he would join a backfield that already includes Knowshon Moreno, Buckhalter and J.J. Arrington. The Broncos carried four running backs on their roster in 2009, though that included Peyton Hillis, who could double as a fullback and also played special teams. To keep four backs in 2010, the team would likely need special teams contributions as well from a couple of them. Arrington would be a top candidate to return kickoffs.

Moreno, one of the team’s first-round draft picks in 2009, figures to get the bulk of the carries in 2010, though the team will likely continue to use a rotation. Last year, Moreno and Buckhalter split carries, often alternating by offensive series. Westbrook or Arrington could be a better third-down option.

After working him out at Dove Valley over the weekend, the Broncos on Monday signed free-agent rookie wide receiver Dicky Lyons to a contract.

Lyons was an undrafted signing of the Atlanta Falcons last season, but was cut two days later and never made the NFL roster.

In 39 games for the Wildcats over four seasons (2004-08), he recorded 141 receptions for 1,752 yards (12.5 yards per catch) with 18 touchdowns. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury his senior year, with two torn ligaments in his right knee.

He joins two other former Kentucky players on Denver’s roster: Wesley Woodyard and Braxton Kelley.

Lyons is a second generation Kentucky wide receiver. His dad, Dicky Lyons Sr., played there from 1966-68. Senior was drafted in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL draft by Atlanta and went on to play defensive back.

The Broncos also waived rookie running back Chris Brown from Oklahoma, who had been part of the team’s big rookie signing splurge last week. Brown ran for 2,923 yards and 42 touchdowns in college.

The Broncos had linebacker Nick Greisen in for a workout Wednesday and are poised to once again add the veteran to the roster if his knee checks out.

Greisen spent the 2009 season on injured reserve with the team when he suffered a torn ACL. Greisen spent the ’09 season rehabbing the injury.

The Broncos signed Greisen in ’09 because he could provide quality, veteran depth at linebacker while being a regular on the team’s special teams units as well. They would be looking for those qualifications again and are expected to formally add him when they are comfortable he is ready to participate in their offseason workouts and minicamps.

Maybe its the confidence that comes from completing five NFL seasons, three as a starter. Maybe its the comfort that comes from moving into his second season as a Broncos' quarterback. Or maybe his new role as a player rep during a year of labor uncertainty has enhanced his leadership skills.

Whatever the reason, Kyle Orton clearly came across as the Broncos' unmistakable leader Tuesday during his first press conference of the new season. Orton spoke forecefully, whether in support of his fellow restricted free agent teammates (Elvis Dumervil, Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler) who are skipping the team's voluntary conditioning program, or in delivering the message that the threat of a 2011 lockout is to be taken seriously, or in explaining his own unique situation that has caused him to place greater priority on his leadership role as starting quarterback than as union rep and spurned restricted free agent.

""I think I can take my leadership to a whole new level,'' Orton said. ""To have a great offense you've got to have a guy who demands it from everybody starting with himself. I've got to demand perfection from myself and I'm going to expect that from everybody else on our offense as well.''

More than at any previous time, Orton approached his press conference not as a chore but as an opportunity.

*Orton on the owners' decision to reopen the collective bargaining agreement that puts the 2011 season in peril: “”I hope something’s getting done. I said at the end of the (2009 season), there’s a lot of money out there for everybody to make. We’ve got the best fan base in the world. We’re gaining market share over every sport in the United States. This is the most powerful, the best sport in the world. And it’s because of the fans. And there’s only one way to lose the fans and that’s to get locked out. Hopefully that never happens.’’

*On how fourth- and fifth-year players are receiving the brunt of the CBA fallout because their status has been moved from unrestricted free agency to restricted free agency: “”I think everybody sees it as billionaires locking out millionaires and all that stuff. Well, to a first-year rookie who came in in the fifth round, he’s not a millionaire. He’s trying to support his family. And it would be a shame if they said, 'Well it doesn’t happen.’’

Kyle Orton at Dove Valley on Tuesday. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

*On how as player rep he's advising his teammates to prepare for next year's lockout: ""You can’t go out and live that lavish NFL lifestyle that everybody wants to talk about. It’s a time to kind of cut back a little bit and just make sure that you’re ready.’’

*On why he's attending the team's offseason program even though he, too, is a restricted free agent confronted with working on a one-year, $2.621 million deal this year — which would place him among the league's lowest paid quarterbacks: ""I knew we had to get better as an offense and there’s no way we were going to do that if I’m not here.’’

Nose tackle Jamal Williams is the biggest new Bronco, and he’s got a personality to match.

Williams, who held his first press conference Tuesday since signing with the Broncos as a free agent early last month, was careful not to say anything inflammatory about his former team, the San Diego Chargers, where he played for more than a decade.

Williams never even mentioned the Chargers by name, instead calling the Broncos rival “that other team.” That itself might show just how important it is to play against San Diego (the team that released him) twice in 2010.

“It’s been different though, playing against a lot of guys, and now I’m in the orange and blue,” Williams said. “So it’s like OK, lets get ready to rock and roll here.”

Williams said he has kept in text-message touch with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who has a reputation as being one of the league’s mouthiest quarterbacks (and is Enemy No. 1 for many Broncos fans). Williams showed he has no problem matching wits with Rivers now that they are no longer teammates.

“We text each other. We’re an hour ahead here, so I wake up and text him and say, ‘I’m an hour better than you young man. You don’t have that red jersey on during practice now,'” Williams said.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.